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Steven Winn

Steven Winn is a San Francisco based free-lance writer and critic and frequent City Arts & Lectures interviewer. His work has appeared in Art News, California, Humanities, Manhattan, Symphony Magazine and The San Francisco Chronicle.

Articles by this Author

Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
April 19, 2019
Simone Young Commands a Colorful Telling of Scheherazade With the S.F. Symphony
BY Steven Winn

Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik shines brightest in a bevy of glittering soloists.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
April 16, 2019
Philharmonia Baroque’s Saul Is Profoundly Moving
BY Steven Winn

Nicholas McGegan's deft hand crafted a near-perfect rendition of Handel’s sacred drama.

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Choral Review
April 2, 2019
A Gripping St. John Passion From S.F. Symphony Chorus and Voices of Music
BY Steven Winn

Ragnar Bohlin elicits the raw urgency Bach’s masterwork requires.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
March 12, 2019
Philharmonia Baroque Serves Up More of the Same: Excellence
BY Steven Winn

Anne Sofie von Otter stars in two premieres from Caroline Shaw.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
February 24, 2019
Manfred Honeck Concocts a Frothy Concert With the S.F. Symphony
BY Steven Winn

The conductor opts for Strauss sweets.

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Recital Review
February 22, 2019
DiDonato Swerves Delightfully Out of Her Lane
BY Steven Winn

With Songplay, the mezzo-soprano and an impressive jazz combo pull off a seriously difficult magic trick.

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Opera Review
February 19, 2019
West Bay Opera’s I due Foscari Conjures Venetian Splendor
BY Steven Winn

The Bay Area premiere of Verdi’s family tragedy does a neglected score justice.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
January 29, 2019
Oakland Symphony Provides “Notes” for the African Musical Diaspora
BY Steven Winn

An eclectic, thrilling concert can only scratch the surface of black musicians’ contributions to classical music.

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Feature Article
S.F. Opera Season 2019: Mozart, Mason Bates, and a Few Fateful Love Stories
January 22, 2019
S.F. Opera Season 2019: Mozart, Mason Bates, and a Few Fateful Love Stories
BY Steven Winn

Some repertory staples get a makeover and fresh casting, while The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs gets its local premiere.

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Recital Review
January 15, 2019
Mark Padmore Sings Beautifully but Not Daringly
BY Steven Winn

Moments of transcendence graced Padmore’s S.F. Performances recital with pianist Paul Lewis, but there could have been more.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
January 2, 2019
A Gift for the New Year from American Bach Soloists
BY Steven Winn

Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and soprano Mary Wilson provide the thrills.

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Opera Review
December 11, 2018
The Future Is Bright With S.F. Opera’s Adler Fellows
BY Steven Winn

A powerhouse concert showcases the impressive range of talent and accomplishment in the class of 2018.

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Opera Review
December 7, 2018
A Threepenny Gamble at the Conservatory of Music
BY Steven Winn

The school’s Music Theater Ensemble tackles a Brecht/Weill classic.

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Opera Review
October 23, 2018
Plácido Domingo Never Ceases to Amaze
BY Steven Winn

Going strong at 77, the Spanish singer finds powerful, fresh expression in concert with two rising stars and the S.F. Opera Orchestra.

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Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
October 15, 2018
Manfred Honeck Conjures an Evening of Big Sounds
BY Steven Winn

Cellist Truls Mørk tears into Prokofiev’s Sinfonia concertante with the S.F. Symphony.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
October 8, 2018
Soloists Rule in Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass With Philharmonia Baroque
BY Steven Winn

The singers had it in a concert of Mozart’s sacred works.

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Opera Review
October 5, 2018
Forceful Lovers Lead S.F. Opera’s Tosca
BY Steven Winn

The potent singing combination of Carmen Giannattasio and Brian Jagde distinguish this production.

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Early Music/Baroque Review
August 11, 2018
Aspiring Musicians Show Their Stuff in an Inspired Semele
BY Steven Winn

American Bach Soloists’ Academy Festival Orchestra and Academy Singers join forces in a festive Handel mashup.

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Opera Review
August 7, 2018
Kendra Broom Electrifying in West Edge Opera's Pelléas & Mélisande
BY Steven Winn

The intrepid company masters the challenges of Debussy's opera of doomed love.

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Opera Review
August 6, 2018
An Affecting Rake Finds Its Footing
BY Steven Winn

Merola Opera stages Stravinsky’s neoclassical masterwork, and succeeds in the end.

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